Have rebuilt an 87 Mustang GT motor and installed it in F150 4X4 last year. Everything was going relativity well until the weather turned cold. Two problems, it seems to have started chewing up the distributor gear, and it also likes blowing the electronic part attached to the outside of the distributor (I cannot think of the name). Any ideas? Thanks

 

TFI module is the part on the distributor.

Mustang came with a roller cam and a steel gear on the distributor. If you use the truck distributor in the mustang motor with the mustang camshaft it will tear it up as the trucks use a cast gear. You need to run to your local parts store and get the steel gear, only a few bucks, and throw it on the distributor and flush and change your oil and filter.

 

Welcome to the forums....

chewing the gear can be 2 things...1 either no oil getting to the gear or 2 using the factory Non-Roller gear with a Roller cam...that will eat a gear every time...

the thingy bolted to the distributor is the Ignition Module...

 

If the gear on the distributor is getting messed up, you need to look in the hole down at the cam drive gear, it is probably all messed up too.

 

Thank You very much!!! I new there was a time when I needed to change the distributor gear, but I could not remember when that was. (It's a b_tch gettin' old, but I don't like the alternative any better!)

Any idea why it began destroying the TFI?

Again, Thank You very much!

 

yep spark scatter....

 

And what is "spark scatter"?

 

exactly as it sounds....

what happens is whent he gear gets chewed it shakes back and forth in between the teeth cause the module to rapidly fire multiple times...it just throws sparks everywhere...this causes the TFI to overheat and give out...

 

Thanks

 

(It's a b_tch gettin' old, but I don't like the alternative any better!) You and me Buddy. Back to the TFI module failure, DrChevy (sorry DrBowtie) just couldn't resist, he is probably correct with the spark scatter thing, have one more point to add, please do not use aftermarket, use Motorcraft. Think about it, Ford has issues and makes changes, the manufacturer complies, guess where all the rejected modules end up, you know the manufacturer doesn't throw them away.